Catalyst unit for lighters



.June 26, 1951 G P, SCHMWT f 2,558,061

CATALYST UNIT FOR LIGHTERS Filed May 20, 1948 Imm A RMN 20a. vf l .SQ 23a 1 19 FIG. 6 187 IN1/EN TOR. 60R6E PHILIP SL'HMITT 'BY 76.4 naa *n/M am ATTORNEY.

Patented June 26, 1951 CATALYST UNIT FOR LIGHTERS George Philip Schmitt, New York, N. Y., assigner to Cardinal -Products Inc., New York, N. Y corporation of New York Application May 20, 1948, Serial No. 28,257

8 Claims.

The present invention relates to catalyst units for lighters of the flameless type, more particular to units of the general type disclosed, for example, in my prior United States Patents Nos. 2,286,231 and 2,291,657.

Broadly speaking, a unit of the character described comprises a head or holder preferably containing a pair of spaced-'apart metal screens between which the catalyst is disposed, this catalyst being normally in the form of a disc, pill or pellet of platinum black or other suitable catalytic material having perforations `which pass the vapors of the fuel to be ignited.

Other things being equal, the ignition speed of a lighter of this type will depend upon the eX- tent of the surface areaJ of the catalytic material which is in direct Contact with the inflammable vapors. It has lalso been found that the provision of a single catalytic body in the form of a disc or the like will tend to localize the point of ignition at the center of the disc, thereby exposing the same to mechanical and thermal action which may lead to the early destruction of the catalyst.

In my aforesaid United States PatentY No. 2,291,657 I have disclosed a catalyst unit wherein the lower of the two metal screens referred to is formed `with a pocket containing granular catalytic material, this material together with the conventional pill or similar material constituting a catalyst of relatively large surface area, the granular catalytic material serving for the preheating of the fuel vapors whereby ignition of the latter will be facilitated and accelerated.

It is an object of the present invention to improve upon the arrangement just described by providing a catalyst unit in which the granular catalytic material is dispensed with and a plurality of compact catalytic members are arranged so as to give the desired distribution of the fuel vapors over a large surface area of the catalytic material.

It is -another object of the invention to provide, in a unit of the character described, catalytic means forming relatively wide channels through which the vapors must pass over a circuitous route, being thus exposed to a large surface area of catalytic material.

It is a further object of the invention to prowill become apparent from the following description, reference being had to the accompanying drawing in which:

Fig. l is a top plan view of a catalytic unit according to the invention;

Fig. 2 is a cross sectional elevation taken on line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a top plan View of an element of the unit shown in Figs. 1 and 2;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary view similar to Fig. 2, showing a modification of the catalytic unit according to the invention;

Fig. 5 is a top plan View of an element of the unit shown in Fig. 4; and

Fig. 6 is a modified form of holder employable in the invention.

Referring first to Figs. 1 and 2, there is shown at IEl a cup or holder which may be the detachable head of a lighter housing a fuel magazine (not shown). The cup I0 is ared at II and is provided with a, shoulder I2 supporting the upper screen I3. The bottom of cup it is formed with an aperture l@ through which projects a dished central portion or pocket I5 of the lower screen I 6.

Supported in the pocket I5 is a pill or pellet Il of catalytic material, shown in top plan view in Fig. 3. The pill II is formed with 'a central aperture I3 and with four radial ribs I9 projecting above the upper surface thereof, as clearly seen in Fig. 2. A second catalytic pill 2li, of substantially larger diameter, rests on the ribs I9 of pill I7 and is supported thereby between the bottom of cup I0 and the upper screen I3. A resilient retaining ring 2 I, which is preferably split as shown at 22, is jammed into the cup I above shoulder I2 to -keep screen i3 and, with it, pills il and 29 as well as Screen i6 in place.

The larger pill 2B is provided with a plurality of eccentrically located bores 23, e. g. ve in number as indicated in Fig. 1. It will be under-stood that fuel vapors, rising toward the bottom of cup IB, pass through the screen It and proceed either along the periphery of pill Ii or through the central aperture I8 thereof into the space 2li which the ribs I9 provide between the catalyst elements I'I and 2i). Thence the vapors may pass through the bores 23 into the interior of the holder Iii, having meanwhile been ignited by the catalytic action of pills I'I and 2li.

It will be understood that the arrangement of Figs. 1 and 2 may be modified by providing the ribs I9 on the upper pill 250 rather than on the lower pill I'I. Again, the upper pill 2li may be provided with ribs, similar to the ribs I9, for

the purpose of providing a clearance between pill 20 and screen i3 whereby the vapors may spread out over the upper face of the upper pill, thus further enhancing the catalytic action. This is shown in the modication of Fig. 4, where the lower part of a holder la has a shoulder 12a supporting upper screen I3 which may be identical with the corresponding screen of Fig. 2, being held in place by a retaining ring 2|. The bottom of holder or cup Ia is formed with an aperture 14a which is considerably larger than aperture i4, Fig. 2, and accommodates a cup-shaped portion 15a of a screen ita which forms a seat for two superposed pills 26a, 2&7?. These pills are preferably identical in structure and similar to the pill 2D, Fig. 2, except for the ribs ISa, lb formed integral with pill 2da, 2th, respectively (see also Fig. 5). Apertures 23a., 23h, which may be staggered with respect to one another as shown, are also provided in the respective pills, the relative positions of these apertures being best seen in Fig. 5 where the apertures 23a are shown in dotted lines.

Thus, by virtue of the ribs lila, there is provided a clearance or space 24a between the pills a and 2Gb, serving the same purpose as the space 24 in Fig. 2. Similarly, by virtue of the ribs leb, there is provided a clearance Zb between pill Eb and screen i3 for the purpose indicated above. The use of 'a pair of identical catalyst elements is advantageous for purposes of tooling and standardization.

Fig. 6 discloses a modified form of cup or holder [b for the pair of catalysts 28a and 22h of Fig. 4 and the catalyst Il of Fig. 2. The bottom of cup ith is formed with an aperture through which projects the dished central portion or pocket ISa of the lower screen ltd in which is supported the pellet El of Fig. 2.

Thus it will be appreciated that the invention provides a catalyst unit which will be rapid and dependable in operation, by virtue of the large area of contact between the fuel vapors and the catalytic material, and which will therefore insure rapid incandescence even Where a lighter is cold or has not been used for a long time. It is to be understood, however, that the invention is not limited to the precise embodiments described and illustrated, and that various modifications and adaptations fall within the scope thereof as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A catalyst unit for a lighter employing Vaporizable fuel, comprising a cup-shaped member, the bottom of said member being provided with an aperture, a rst screen having a dislied portion, said portion projecting outward from said member through said aperture, a first catalyst element held in said portion, a second catalyst element adjacent said first element, at least one of said elements having a projection holding said elements apart whereby a vapor space is formed, a second screen adjacent said second element, said elements being arranged to permit the passage of vapors 'from the exterior into the interior of sai-d. member by way of said screens and said vapor space, and retaining means holding said screens and said elements in place.

2. A catalyst unit according to claim 1 wherein each of said elements is provided with at least one perforation communicating with said vapor space.

3. A catalyst unit according to claim 2 wherein said rst element is a disc provided with a center bore and said second element is a disc provided with a plurality of bores eccentrically arranged.

4. A catalyst unit according to claim 1 Wherein said second element is provided with a projection holding said second element and said second screen apart whereby a further vapor space is formed.

'5. A catalyst unit for a lighter employing vaporizable fuel, comprising a cup-shaped member, the bottom of said member being provided with a central aperture, a first screen having a dished center portion open at the top and projecting downward through said aperture, a first perforated disc of catalytic material held in said portion, said disc being provided with a plurality of radially extending ribs projecting from the upper face thereof, a second perforated disc supported o'n said ribs whereby a vapor space is formed between said two discs, a second screen above said second disc, and a retaining ring en gaging the inner wall of said member above said second screen to hold said screens and said discs in place, said screens, said vapor space and the perforations of said discs forming a circutous path for ignitable fuel vapors passing from below said member into the interior thereof.

6. A catalyst unit according to claim 5 wherein said second disc is supported above said first screen and projects beyond the dished portion thereof.

'7. A catalyst unit for a lighter employing vaporizable fuel, comprising a cup-'shaped member, the .bottom of said member being provided with an aperture, a rst screen having a dished portion, said portion projecting outward from said member through said aperture, a plurality of super-posed catalyst elements including a first element-held in said portion and a `second element adjacent said first element, at least one of said elements having a projection holding `said elements apart whereby a vapor space is formed, a second screen adjacent the uppermost of said catalyst elements, said elements being arranged to permit the passage of vapors from the exterior into the interior of said member by way of said screens and said vapor space, and retaining means holding said Vscreen and said elements in place.

8. A catalyst unit 'according to claim 'l wherein said uppermost-element is provided with a projection spacing it from said second screen, thus forming a second vapor space.

GEORGE PHILIP SCHMITT.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,400,284 Backhaus Dec. 13, 1921 1,937,097 Schmitt Nov. 28, 1933 2,291,657 `Schmitt Aug. 4, 1942 2,356,356 Schmitt Aug. 22, 1944 '2,493,266 Schmitt Jan. 3, 1950 

